Man City defender Ruben Dias was clearly rattled after their 2-0 loss to Liverpool on Sunday, with a spiky post-match interview showing his feelings on their form.
After losing 2-0 at Anfield, Man City are now on a run of seven games without a win, losing six of those and drawing the other 3-3 with Feyenoord after being 3-0 up.
It is a dramatic fall for the reigning Premier League champions, who now sit fifth in the table after 13 games, 11 points behind leaders Liverpool.
Jan, as an ex pro, understands the frustrations of the player here. Not sure there’s many, if any, who could handle a surly, difficult interviewee better. That said, it’s really poor from Ruben Dias pic.twitter.com/73W5WvBBDg
— John Bradley (@jbradleymedia) December 2, 2024
Speaking to former footballer Jan Aage Fjortoft in a post-match interview for Viaplay, Man City centre-back Dias responded poorly to a question on how the squad would take responsibility for their miserable form.
“You know that you’re talking to one of the players of one of the teams in the world that has won the most in recent years?” Dias replied.
“So maybe have a think about that and be sure that we know how to deal with it.”
While Pep Guardiola and his players will point to their few injuries, namely a season-ending blow for Rodri, their 115 financial charges suggest enough money has been spent on the squad to be able to absorb these absences.
But the manager’s fragile mentality – holding up six fingers to Liverpool fans who chanted “sacked in the morning” – is instead impacting the players.
Dias showed little respect to Fjortoft during their interview, allowing his emotions to get the better of him as he fulfilled his post-match duties.
Put to him by Fjortoft that he was simply trying to understand what was going through the minds of Man City players, Dias replied: “Easy, next game. One game at a time. Nothing else.”
“These are the ones everyone wants to play. These are the ones we will always remember,” the Portugal international said of the defeat at Anfield.
“These difficult circumstances, for the stadium itself and also for the moment we’re going through, this is when you see the warriors you have next to you.”
Dias is not the first to respond poorly in a post-match interview and he certainly won’t be the last, with Liverpool fans familiar with many of Jurgen Klopp‘s clashes with broadcasters after games.
But in effectively asking Fjortoft ‘do you know who I am?’ it showed the mentality within Guardiola’s squad at present.
Theirs is a squad in desperate need of regeneration, with ageing players relying on reputation over talent and a manager who seemingly hasn’t grasped that.
